Man pleads guilty to 1988 slaying

Beloit, Wis.

A man who was caught in Bellevue after being sought on a murder charge in Wisconsin has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Ezequiel Lopez-Savala had been sought in the stabbing death of 22-year-old David Landwehr during a fight outside a house in Beloit in 1988.

Lopez-Savala was stopped and jailed in Winnebago County, Ill., later that morning, but he made bail and disappeared.

For nearly two decades he was sought on a charge of first-degree intentional homicide. Then, about a year ago, he was pulled over for a minor traffic violation in Bellevue.

Lopez-Savala, 43, pleaded guilty to manslaughter while using a dangerous weapon. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

Maple Valley

Sex offender gets 7-10 years in prison

A Level 3 sex offender who tried to kidnap a woman in a Costco parking lot last year was sentenced Friday to up to 10 years in prison.

Patrick Velez, 46, of Maple Valley, was armed with a knife and handcuffs when he climbed into the back seat of a 34-year-old woman's car in the parking lot of the Tukwila Costco on July 19, 2007. The woman's screams caused him to flee.

Velez pleaded guilty on Sept. 5 to first-degree attempted kidnapping with sexual motivation and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

Because Velez is being sentenced under a state guideline established for sex offenders, his behavior behind bars will be reviewed after 7 ½ years, and he could be required to serve another 2 ½ years in prison, said Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. After he's released from prison, Velez will be eligible to be reviewed for indefinite civil commitment under the state's special law for sexually violent predators.

Seattle

Homeless camp moved to U District

The homeless camp Nickelsville moved Friday to a church parking lot in the University District after the clock ran out on its spot in Discovery Park.

City officials have not determined whether the new location at University Christian Church violates the camp's most recent eviction notice, which warned against setting up camp in city limits. Typically, churches hosting tent cities are required to get a permit from the city.

"No one's had a chance to look at what the implications are of this new site, so that will probably happen next week," said city parks spokeswoman Dewey Potter.

University Christian Church members were welcoming the group of homeless people and advocates.

"It's an opportunity for our church to be responsible to our mission of social justice in our community," said member Rick Chan, 27.

The church is the fourth home in less than three weeks for the unauthorized tent city, named to dishonor Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' policy of sweeping homeless camps.

Faced with eviction, the group moved from city-owned land leased to the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation at noon Friday.

Burien

No jail time for man linked to fatal crash

A 20-year-old man who supplied a teenage girl with alcohol before she died in a car accident in August 2006 won't serve any jail time.

Jena Heidloff was about to enter her junior year at Emerald Ridge High School when she drove into a tractor trailer on Highway 18 in Auburn. Police said that she had been speeding west in the eastbound lanes around 2:20 a.m. just east of Auburn Way South. Heidloff was killed instantly.

A toxicology report said her blood alcohol level was 0.15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit.

On Thursday, a King County District Court judge ordered Chaz Jones to serve community service and a year of probation. Jones, who was 18 when the crash occurred, had been charged with supplying liquor to a minor.

Cle Elum, Kittitas County

Assistant principal named state's best

Cle Elum-Roslyn High School has made statewide news for the second time in a week.

On Friday, assistant principal Mike O'Donnell was named the Washington state assistant principal of the year. On Wednesday, Cle Elum-Roslyn language-arts teacher Susan Johnson was named Washington state's teacher of the year.

O'Donnell learned of the award at a school pep rally Friday morning, where Johnson also was honored.

O'Donnell is being recognized for his success at improving attendance, building community and handling discipline with dignity and respect.

Page, Ariz.

Drowning victim's body recovered

Park rangers have found the body of a 19-year-old Seattle man who drowned in Lake Powell last month.

A spokesman for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area told The Salt Lake Tribune in its online edition Friday that the body of Luke Rogers surfaced on the Utah side of the lake Thursday.

Seattle

Student-assignment plan to be discussed

Seattle Public Schools will hold three meetings to discuss the development of a new student-assignment plan. The district plans to make changes in how students are assigned to schools starting in fall 2010. For more information on the framework go to www.seattleschools.org/area/newassign/index.html

The meeting schedule:

• 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 23, Ingraham High School library, 1819 N. 135th St. Interpreters: Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese.

• 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday, Oct 27, Rainier Beach High School, Paul Robeson Performing Arts Center, 8815 Seward Park Ave. S. Interpreters: Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese.

• 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Nov. 1, John Stanford Center, 2445 Third Ave. S. Interpreters: Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Tigrigna, Vietnamese.

Seattle Times staff and news services